Process for converting a biomass material

1. A process for converting a biomass material comprising

a) converting at least a portion of the biomass material into one or more C3-C12 ketones, one or more C3-C12 alkanols or a combination thereof in steps comprising:

i. fermenting the biomass material with one or more micro-organisms, to produce a fermentation broth comprising one or more carboxylic acids;

ii. neutralizing the one or more carboxylic acids with the help of a buffering agent to produce one or more carboxylate salts; and

iii. transforming the one or more carboxylate salts into the one or more C3-C12 ketones, one or more C3-C12 alkanols or a combination thereof

b) contacting a feed comprising the one or more C3-C12 ketones, one or more C3-C12 alkanols or a combination thereof with hydrogen at a hydrogen partial pressure of more than 1.0 MegaPascal in the presence of a sulphided carbon-carbon coupling catalyst at a temperature in the range from equal to or more than 250° C. to equal to or less than 450° C. and at a WHSV in the range of from 0.2 to 2.5 kg feed per kg catalyst per hour; wherein the feed further comprises sulphur in the range from equal to or more than 150 to equal to or less than 2000 ppmw; and

wherein the sulphided carbon-carbon coupling catalyst comprises equal to or more than 60 wt % of a zeolite and in the range from equal to or more than 0.1% wt to equal to or less than 10 wt % of a hydrogenation metal, based on the total weight of the sulphided carbon-carbon coupling catalyst.

2. The process according to claim 1 , wherein the buffering agent in step ii) is calcium carbonate.

3. The process according to claim 2 , wherein step iii) comprises heating the one or more carboxylate salts at a temperature in the range from equal to or more than 350° C. to equal to or less than 500° C. at a pressure of equal to or less than 0.05 MegaPascal to produce one or more C3-C12 ketones.

4. The process according to claim 3 , wherein the produced C3-C12 ketones are hydrogenated to produce one or more C3-C12 alkanols.

5. The process according to claim 1 , wherein the one or more carboxylate salts produced in step ii) are descummed and/or dewatered and/or dried before transforming in step iii).

6. The process according to claim 1 , wherein the zeolite of the carbon-carbon coupling catalyst in step b) comprises 10-membered and/or 12-membered ring channels and a Silica to Alumina Molar Ratio (SAR) in the range from equal to or more than 10 to equal to or less than 300.

7. The process according to claim 1 , wherein the sulphided carbon-carbon coupling catalyst in step b) is sulphided in-situ and/or ex-situ.